Top of the table clash at Jubilee Park

Waimea Old Boys is determined to knock over the only side it has lost to, when Marist comes to Richmond on Saturday. Both teams have won six of their seven Tasman Trophy matches this season and have 31 points each.

But Marist leads on points differential, 90 more than WOB. The home side’s only defeat came against Marist 30-26, in a cracking Thursday night clash at Trafalgar Park, six weeks ago.

“We learned a lot of lessons from that match,” insists coach Scott McKenzie, whose teams has gone unbeaten since.

While Marist has overcome two slow starts to turn on a point a minute rugby in the second halves of its last two games, it is almost the opposite for Waimea Old Boys.
“We have been starting really well and then hanging on at the end,” acknowledges coach “Macca”.

They just survived a big finish from the rapidly improving Kahurangi 22-19 and then beat Nelson 43-35.

“I would like to think the Nelson game wasn’t so tight. They scored a late try,” says Macca. Both games were at Jubilee Park and he’s expecting a big crowd to back them there on Saturday afternoon.

“The boys are nice and refreshed after the bye week. It came at a good time. “We didn’t train last Thursday night.”

Waimea will be bolstered by the return of 2014 Heartland Player of the Year James Lash, with the veteran back likely to come off the bench. But it is upfront where the home side has been really dominant this season with props Joel Lauvale and Tom Heywood joined by French hooker Guilhem Bourgois.

The new recruit has scored seven tries in as many games and it is not as though Gui is waiting on the wings to get them. “Gui has scored one or two off the back of lineout drives, but has had to work for the others,” maintains Macca.

Given the magnitude of the second-round clash, don’t be surprised if last season’s Ranfurly Shield star Campbell Parata steps up.

Remember, he kicked the late penalty goal to wrest the shield from Hawke’s Bay and survived a heavy tackle to play a big role in the first defence against Wellington.

“It feels like he is building to a big game,” suggests Macca.

If Waimea can turn the tables on Marist, the side will get its hands of the well-travelled John Goodman Challenge Trophy. It started at Stoke this season, went to Marist and then to Nelson before ending up in Blenheim.

Marist won it back off Central but what better way to celebrate Club Day than the “John Goody” finding a new home at Jubilee Park. Kick-off is at 3pm.